Outstanding Soloists Pace 'The Nutcracker' Dance Review

December 15, 1984|by KATHRYN WILLIAMS, The Morning Call.

On Thursday afternoon, the Lehigh Valley Regional Ballet Company and guest artists Ana Maria Castanon and Roberto Rodriguez performed "The Nutcracker" for a packed house of fifth-graders at Allentown's Symphony Hall. The overture was omitted for this show because of the tight scheduling needed to get the children back to school on time, so the curtain opened right away for the first scene.

As in most "Nutcracker" productions, not much happens in the first scene, so there is plenty of time to take notice of the scenery, the costumes and the overly made-up children. The only thing important to the story line that happens here is that Clara, a young girl, is presented with a nutcracker doll by Dr. Drosselmayer, a magician. This occurs at a Christmas party, and there are several folk-type dances performed. The best of these was the last dance by the adults, probably because ithad the most exciting music.

The next scene takes place after everyone else goes to bed, and Clara comes back to the Christmas tree and falls asleep. The tree grows, and we are transported to a world with life-sized mice. The program then implies that there will be a "battle" between the Nutcracker General and his soldiers and the mice.

The children in the audience loved the mice and a nicely choreographed battle would have been well-received. Unfortunately, the battle lasted all of 30 seconds or so - certainly not worth the change in scenery

Problems with the narrative continued for the rest of the performance. This is often a difficulty with productions of the Nutcracker; it seems that a special effort should be made by the choreographer to let the dancers advance the story line in movement without the need for extensive program notes.

The first act ends with a dance in the Land of Snow, and the technical feats of Snow Queen Jane Miller and Cavalier Steven Wright were applauded enthusiastically. The dance of the Snowflakes was rather frustrating to watch because the music was so pretty but the dancers never seemed to absorb and enjoy the lovely rhythm of the music.

The second act opens with a long section where angels walk around holding candles. If only this time had been spent on the mice battle! The purpose of these angels was to announce the entrance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, the beautiful Ana Maria Castanon. She, in turn, presents dancers from the Land of Sweets. The Spanish dance was lacking in ethnic flavor where the Arabian was rich. Lori Seaman performed the Arabian very well in a beautiful green costume.

The Chinese and Candy Cane sections were popular with this audience. The Marzipan section seemed strange because itwas performed to very moving music with very little movement. This was also true in the Waltz of the Flowers that followed. There was some nice sequencing of steps and then the dancers would stop for a pose. This was detrimental to the enjoyment of the waltz tempo. Leah Schrantz did a lovely job as Dew Drop in this section, and Steven Wright again did a commendable job as a Cavalier.

The true excitement of the production for me came at the end with the Grand Pas de Deux (just when the children in the audience were starting to fidget in their seats). Castanon, with her effortless turns, and Rodriguez, with his beats and leaps, were a pleasure to watch. The only problem with having guest artists is the disparity that is demonstrated between their performances and those of the regular company members. Not only were their technical achievements greater, but they entered the stage exuding much more personality.

After the performance, some students from Cleveland Elementary School gave me their impressions of "The Nutcracker." Derek Miller liked the Mouse King and thought the Chinese dancers were very funny. Becky Konapelsky also liked the Chinese dancers, and enjoyed the snow that fell onstage during the Snowflake dance. Rachael Marakovits loved the costumes in general and thought that "the couple in pink" (Castanon and Rodriguez) were very good. Indeed, they were.

"The Nutcracker" continues at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. today and at 2 p.m. tomorrow at Symphony Hall, Allentown. For ticket information and reservations, call 865-9363.

Kathryn Williams is a free-lance writer and dance reviewer for A.M. Magazine.